Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Elliptical...Take Two.

The Elliptical that was featured in the last post broke after only five days of use. After spending more money than I spent on my first car I was, needless to say, pissed. However, the people at Dick's sporting goods really came through for us. Not only did they take the old elliptical back but they exchanged it for a higher end model at no additional cost to us. We were thrilled. The new machine is a Sole and is a much smoother model with more features than the previous machine. It has an ominous look to it. Almost like the wheel section from an old locomotive. My wife has taken to calling it the Pain Train. Every day for two sets of ten minutes, we huff and we puff...cause we think we can, we think we can.

As for diet. Well, I'm doing the vegan thing. No meat, no dairy, no refined sugar, no white flour. This pretty much leaves you with fruits and veggies. Tough sledding? You bet. The first few days were a special kind of hell that saw me longing for all the old greasy dishes, but after a time I've gotten into the groove and I'm not missing the fast food so much. My twin sisters have been a big help recommending some great veggie substitutes that are long on taste and short on chemistry.

Their best tip so far? The green goodness. A smoothie made from swiss chard, spinach, avocado, agave syrup, pomegranate juice and ice. I was skeptical at first as the sight of a green shake is very disconcerting, but the taste is really quite good. After a few mornings of having it for breakfast, I now crave it the way I used to crave coffee. The difference is that I used get a charge out of caffeine, now I'm amped up on complex B vitamins and mono unsaturated fats. I love the good feeling I get from it, and the energy lasts well into the afternoon. After about four weeks of eating this way and working out, I've managed to loose seven pounds and I'm feeling great. Seven pounds is a cup out of the ocean but I'm in this thing for the long haul. In April I will turn forty and my son is only eight months old. By the time the little man goes off to college I'll be pushing sixty. I gotta stay healthy. Look at this pic and you'll see...Lot's to live for.